Foot, leg, and arm support for exercise

ABSTRACT

A foot/leg/arm rest that is fully height and width adjustable. In addition, support cups can be positioned over a wide range of fixed angles to accommodate any user. The supports have a wide base that provides strong, firm and stable support for the device when it is used. The invention has two horizontal end members and a central connecting track. Two vertical post supports are positioned in the track and are slidably installed so that they can be positioned at any desired location within the track. In fact, one of the posts can be removed if desired so that only one post is in use. Each post is height adjustable independent of the other. This allows that supports to be positioned at two different levels, if desired. Each post has a support secured to it using a bracket that can be set to a wide range of angles.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to foot, leg and arm supports and particularly to foot, leg and arm supports for use in exercise.

2. Description of the Prior Art

There are many types of exercise today that require a person to rest partially on the toes. Several types of exercises are best done with the feet and legs elevated. Moreover, there are certain types of exercises that require a user to rest on their forearms or elbows, such as an exercise called “the plank”. These exercises can be done by healthy individuals with no problems. However, for people with conditions such as gout, neuropathy, or other similar conditions, resting one's weight on the feet or elbows can be painful to the point where such exercises are difficult, if not impossible to do.

It is also true that for many healthy exercises, making standard exercises more difficult by raising the legs or the upper body has long been known. Typically, many people use benches, chairs or other similar items to accomplish this. While useful, these items are not ideal. Benches and chairs can move, causing a user to fall and become injured. Benches and chairs are also usually fixed height making them less adaptable for variations in body size. Therefore, benches and chairs are not ideal for use with alternative types of exercise.

Over the years support and footrests have been designed for various purposes. For example, Pat. No. 621,098 discloses a foot rest that has a pair of curved cushions mounted on a rocking frame. Although not designed for exercise, the device could be used to support legs during pushups. However, the rocking feature makes the device unstable for proper exercise.

Several devices, such as Pat. Nos. 4,2332,381, 5,330,408, and 5,582,565 teach devices in which the user can be supported by placing hands and feet on the device. All of these devices require that the hands and feet contact solid surfaces in the way they would if they were not using the device. These devices, therefore, provide no relief for those with the conditions mentioned above.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,151 teaches a unique device for pushups and hand walking. It is a frame that has rigid ankle supports. The frame is height adjustable, but has a fixed width. Moreover, the supports are fixed and cannot be adjusted. Finally, the design has wheels that can be used to walk the device around. While limited to unique purposes, such a device can be dangerous in that it can be unstable. A wrong movement could cause the device to slip and fall, possibly causing injury.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,754 teaches a device that also supports ankles. This device has a folding frame that has a lower base support and a pair of vertical arms. The vertical arms have slots to receive a pair of ankle pads that can rotate freely in the frame. This device has a number of drawbacks. First, the lower frame is lightweight tubing, which may be unstable in some instances. The vertical arms have no ability to adjust in width, which limits the device to essentially an ankle support. For example, doing the plank exercise, as discussed above, is really not possible with this device as it is too narrow for comfortable use. The freely rotating ankle supports may be somewhat more comfortable, but may also cause stability problems.

Note that both Pat. Nos. 4,826,151 and 6,695,754 suffer from another limitation. They both have ankle supports that are positioned on a single horizontal plane. There is no way to adjust the pads so that they are at two different heights.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The instant invention overcomes these difficulties. It is a foot/leg/arm rest that is fully height and width adjustable. In addition, the support cups can be positioned over a wide range of fixed angles to accommodate any user. The supports have a wide base that provides strong, firm and stable support for the device when it is used. This reduces the chances that the unit will move or roll during use.

The invention consists of a base that has two horizontal end members and a central connecting track. Two vertical post supports are positioned in the track and are slidably installed so that they can be positioned at any desired location within the track. In fact, one of the posts can be removed if desired so that only one post is in use. Each post is height adjustable independent of the other. This allows that supports to be positioned at two different levels, if desired. Each post has a support secured to it using a bracket that can be set to a wide range of angles. Again, unlike the prior art, each support is independently adjustable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the invention showing one vertical support at a different height from the other, and the leg pad tilted.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the invention showing one vertical support at a different height from the other, and both leg pads tilted.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an optional clip for use with exercise bands.

FIG. 5 is a detail view of the device with a footplate, used with the optional clips in place.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the device with the optional exercise band clips installed in the main track and footplate in place and with exercise bands installed.

FIG. 6 a is a front view of the device with the optional exercise band clips installed in the two horizontal end members and footplate in place and with exercise bands installed.

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of the invention as an alternative embodiment showing optional handgrips in place.

FIG. 8 is a side perspective view of the invention showing the optional handgrips in place and rotated 90 degrees.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, a front view of the invention 10 is shown. The invention consists of a base 11 that has two horizontal end members 12 and a central connecting track 13. Two vertical post supports 14 and 15 are positioned in the track and are slidably installed in the track so that they can be positioned at any desired location within the track. In fact, one of the posts can be removed if desired so that only one post is in use. The vertical post supports 14 and 15 are secured in the track using locking brackets 16. These brackets have a vertical portion 16 a that are secured to the sides of the outer portion of the post supports and a horizontal portion 16 b. The horizontal portions 16 b have thumb screws 16 c that are used to secure the brackets to the track in the desired location. Once tightened, vertical post supports 14 and 15 are firmly help in place.

Each of the vertical post supports 14 and 15 have and outer portion 14 a and 15 a and an inner portion 14 b and 15 b. (See also FIGS. 2 and 3). A series of holes 17 are formed in both the inner and outer portions of the vertical post supports. These holes allow the posts to be height-adjustable. When the inner portion is at the desired height, it is secured with a pin 18 that passes though both the inner and outer portions as shown.

Support pads 19 are attached to the tops of the vertical support posts using a cap bracket 20 that is secured to the inner portion of each vertical support post with pins 21. Note that the support pads 19 are shown curved to better fit the limbs of the user. The support pads can also have a thin layer of padding, if desired for additional comfort.

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the invention showing one vertical support at a different height from the other, and the leg pad tilted.

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the invention showing one vertical support 15 at a different height from the other 14, and both support pads 19 tilted at different angles with respect to the vertical supports. Note that each post, 14 or 15, is independently height-adjustable, which allows the supports to be positioned at two different levels, if desired. FIG. 2 also clearly shows the inner portion 15 b of post 15 in a raised position. As noted above, at the top of each vertical support post is a cap bracket 20 that is secured to the inner portion of each vertical support post with pins 21. Pins are used the preferred embodiment because they require no tools to use, but any other suitable fasteners can be used. Note that the cap brackets are open in the back and front (see, e.g., FIG. 3). This allows the cap brackets to tilt forward or back to any desired angle over almost a full 180 degrees. Obviously, during use, the preferred angles are limited to a range of between about 45 degrees forward or back. This adjustment is made by loosening the fasteners, tiling the support pad to the desired angle and then retightening the fasteners to secure the pad for use.

FIG. 4 is a side view of an eyebolt clip 30 as an optional embodiment for use with resistance bands. As discussed below, the device can be used to do exercises using resistance bands. To use the bands, eyebolts 30 are installed in lieu of the posts. The eyebolt assembly 30 has a base portion 31 that slides into the track 13. Once positioned, the clip portions 32, which have threads 33, are screwed down until they lock the base portions 31 in place. At the top of the clip portion 32 is a latch clip 34 that has an opening 35 into which the resistance bands 36 (see FIG. 6) fit.

FIG. 5 is a detail view, of the lower frame 11 with a footplate 37 in place. Here, the vertical posts 14 and 15 have been removed from the lower frame 11. The footplate 37 is positioned between the front portions of the horizontal frame members 12 and secured to them. The footpad 37 is used to hold the frame down when the user is using the resistance bands. When the resistance bands are used, the user stands on the footplate to prevent the frame from lifting. FIG. 6 is a front view of the lower track with the band clips installed in the main track 13 and footplate 37 in place and with resistance bands 36 installed. Here, the eyebolt clips 30 are installed in the track with the vertical support posts in place. In this way, the resistance bands 36 can be used without having to hold the bands with the user's feet (where they can easily slip off)—as is the normal practice for using these bands. It is also unnecessary to remove the vertical support posts when using the resistance bands. Of course, if the user desires, the clips 30 can be installed in the track with the vertical support posts removed-using just the lower frame as shown in FIG. 5, although that is not preferred. Alternatively, the clips 30 can be placed in the two horizontal end members as shown in FIG. 6 a. Either of these configurations extends the versatility of the device.

Resistance band exercises are ideal for home exercise programs and can be used for cardiovascular conditioning as well as for strengthening specific muscle groups. Some of the exercises that can be used with the eyebolt clips and resistance bands include resistance band squats, bent over rowing, diagonal wood chops, triceps extension, lateral rows and bicep curls.

One of the key exercises that can be done with this device is an exercise called “the plank”. The plank is an isometric exercise that helps build endurance in a user's entire core—rectus abdominus, oblique's, lower back and stabilizing muscles. The exercise itself can cause damage to the elbow if the elbow is not properly protected from the floor. While performing the plank exercise one normally has the elbows directly in contact with the floor, the floor might have carpet or a slight covering on it. This condition can cause discomfort in the elbows while in direct contact with the floor performing the exercise and could cause joint pain or damage the elbows. Using the instant invention and placing the forearms in the padded cups takes away the discomfort of the contact with the floor. The exercise can be performed in a horizontal plane or used with an incline when using the device. This takes the direct floor contact away from the elbows and allows the exercise to be performed focusing on the end results instead of the pain on the elbows due to the floor contact.

Another option allows the user to grip handgrips directly when performing push-up type exercises. In this embodiment, handgrips are installed in place of the curved pads. FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of the invention as an alternative embodiment showing handgrips 40 in place. In this figure, the frame and vertical supports 14 and 15 are set up as before. However, the curved pads 19 have been removed and handgrips 40 have been added. The handgrips 40 have an open-topped generally rectangular frame 41 and cylindrical grip portions 42. The handgrips are secured to the vertical supports using brackets 43 and pins 21. In this way, the handgrips can be angled front to back, as desired. FIG. 8 shows the handgrips 40 installed on the vertical supports, rotated 90 degrees from the orientation shown in FIG. 7. This option allows the user to grip the handgrips in this manner as well. Note that in this position, the handgrips 40 can be angled from side to side, as desired.

Note also that both the curved pads and the handgrips can be considered as “exercise supports” for the purposes of this invention.

Using this platform a user can perform any number of exercises, including push-ups with the legs being supported, the “plank” in which one has the elbows supported by the device instead of having them on the floor, push-ups using the hand grips, and numerous exercises using resistance bands. Thus, this invention provides a safe, comfortable and versatile platform for a user's exercise needs.

The present disclosure should not be construed in any limited sense other than that limited by the scope of the claims having regard to the teachings herein and the prior art being apparent with the preferred form of the invention disclosed herein and which reveals details of structure of a preferred form necessary for a better understanding of the invention and may be subject to change by skilled persons within the scope of the invention without departing from the concept thereof. 

1. A foot, leg, and arm support apparatus for exercise comprising: a) a base; b) at least one vertical support post, slidably installed in said base; c) a means for temporality locking said at least one vertical support post in one position in said base; d) an exercise support, rotatably attached to said at least one vertical support post; and e) a means for temporality locking said support pad in a fixed position on said vertical support post.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 where the at least one vertical support has an adjustable height.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a) a second vertical support post, slidably installed in said base; c) a means for temporality locking said second vertical support post in one position in said base; d) a second exercise support, rotatably attached to said second vertical support post; and e) a means for temporality locking said exercise support on said second vertical support post in a fixed position on said second vertical support post.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 where the second vertical support post has an adjustable height.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the height of said second vertical support is adjustable independently from the height of said at least one vertical support post.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for temporality locking said exercise support in a fixed position on said vertical support post includes a means for setting said exercise support at an angle with respect to said at least one vertical support post.
 7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the means for temporality locking said exercise support on said second vertical support post in a fixed position on said second vertical support post includes a means for setting said second exercise support at an angle with respect to said second vertical support post.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the exercise support is a curved support pad.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the exercise support is a handgrip.
 10. The support of claim 3 where said exercise support and said second exercise supports are curved pads.
 11. The support of claim 3 where said exercise support and said second exercise supports are handgrips.
 11. A foot, leg, and arm support apparatus for exercise comprising: a) a base, said base having a pair of horizontal end members and a center track, fixedly attached to said pair of horizontal end members; b) a first vertical support post, slidably installed in said track; c) a means for temporality locking said first vertical support post in one position in said track; d) a first exercise support, rotatably attached to said first vertical support post; e) a means for temporality locking said first exercise support in a position on said first vertical support post; f) a second vertical support post, slidably installed in said track; g) a means for temporality locking said second vertical support post in one position in said track; h) a second exercise support, rotatably attached to said second vertical support post; and i) a means for temporality locking said second exercise support in a position on said second vertical support post.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the means for temporality locking said first exercise and second exercise supports in a fixed position includes a means for setting said first and second exercise supports at an angle with respect to said first and second vertical support posts, respectively.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said first and second exercise supports are curved pads.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said first and second exercise supports are handgrips.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a) at least one resistance band eyebolt clip, installed in said base; b) a means for temporarily securing said eyebolt clip in said base; c) a resistance band installed in said eyebolt clip; and d) a footpad removably installed on said base.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 further comprising: a) a second eyebolt clip installed in said base; b) a means for temporarily securing said second eyebolt clip in said base; and c) a second resistance band installed in said second eyebolt clip.
 17. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising: a) at least one resistance band eyebolt clip, installed in said center track; b) a means for temporarily securing said eyebolt clip in said center track; c) a resistance band installed in said eyebolt clip; and d) a footpad removably installed on said pair of horizontal end members and being positioned therebetween.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising: a) a second eyebolt clip installed in said center track; b) a means for temporarily securing said second eyebolt clip in said center track; and c) a second resistance band installed in said second eyebolt clip.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising: a) at least one resistance band eyebolt clip, installed in one of said pair of horizontal end members; b) a means for temporarily securing said eyebolt clip in one of said pair of horizontal end members; c) a resistance band installed in said eyebolt clip; and d) a footpad removably installed on said pair of horizontal end members and being positioned therebetween.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19 further comprising: a) a second eyebolt clip installed in the other of said pair of horizontal end members; b) a means for temporarily securing said second eyebolt clip in the other of said pair of horizontal end members; and c) a second resistance band installed in said second eyebolt clip. 